A solid work horse in the backfield makes life easier for a rookie, and Adrian Peterson is among the best.

It wouldn’t be wise to start Christian Ponder on your fantasy team immediately, or to use a high pick on him. But he could be a solid backup quarterback that could eventually develop into a starter as the season progresses.

Mikel LeShoure (Running Back, Detroit Lions)

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Mikel LeShoure should be productive immediately in Detroit.

He is coming to a capable offense, and it’s very possible that the Lions drafted him as their primary back.

They’re thrilled with Jahvid Best—there’s no doubt about that—but they’re just not sure if he’s fit to carry the full load, which is why they used their second-round pick last April to draft the bigger and more durable LeShoure.

LeShoure might have a learning curve, and it might take him some time to find some consistency, but he will get carries immediately.

Brian Robiskie (Wide Receiver, Cleveland Browns)

Brian Robiskie was a second-round pick by Cleveland in 2009, and he’s given fans little to be excited about.

But people constantly forget that it takes time for some players to develop.

Robiskie had 152 yards and three touchdowns in the final three games of last season. That's about half of his yards (310) and all of his touchdowns (three) for the 2010 season in the final three games.

Now that the Browns actually have solid answer at quarterback in Colt McCoy, we can expect the learning and production to begin.

Jerrel Jernigan (Wide Receiver, New York Giants)

If the New York Giants lose wide receiver Steve Smith to free agency, then expect rookie receiver Jerrel Jernigan to contribute immediately.

There’s a good chance that the Giants used a third-round pick on Jernigan last April as a fallback plan in case Smith leaves.

If Smith does sign with another team, then Jernigan’s fantasy value will increase enormously. But even if Smith doesn't leave, expect Jernigan to get involved in the Giants’ offense more and more as the season progresses.

Beanie Wells (Running Back, Arizona Cardinals)

Beanie Wells showed promise as a rookie in 2009, but his stats in 2010 were a significant drop off.

Wells had 793 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, but he had only 397 yards and two touchdowns last season, as well as a dismal 3.4 yards per carry average.

He also missed three games in 2010 due to injury.

Don’t let his drop off in 2010 fool you, as he’s still a very capable back. Last year, the entire Arizona offense was trying to adapt to life without quarterback Kurt Warner, who left the team for retirement.

The Cardinals have not solved their quarterback issue yet, but the initial shock of losing Warner is gone, and Wells will likely get back on track at some point.

Brandon LaFell (Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers)

Carolina wide receiver has asked to be placed in a competitive situation, which is clearly not Carolina.

Expect Smith to be traded prior to the 2011 season.

This would leave second-year receiver Brandon LaFell as the new primary receiver.

LaFell was one of the bright spots on the Panther’s team last season, as he had 468 receiving yards in a secondary role behind Smith. It wasn’t a bad rookie season for LaFell, especially when you consider he was on the worst team in the NFL.

Expect him and newly acquired quarterback Cam Newton to form a chemistry with one another.